All about donations

Three Types of will

Notarial will

A notarial will is executed before a notary in the presence of two witnesses. This type of will offers the greatest certainty. The notary will ensure that all legal formalities are complied with and that the content is accurate. The costs for drawing up a notarial will are minimal.

International will

An international will is a typed or handwritten document which you submit to a notary, who drafts a notarised statement in the presence of two witnesses. This type of will is particularly convenient if the will is extensive or if you own property abroad.

Holographic (handwritten) will

A holographic will must be written entirely in the testator’s handwriting, dated and signed. It is recommended that you consult a notary and leave the will there for safekeeping.

Types of bequests

Universal bequest

If you wish to bequeath your entire estate to KU Leuven, you should make a will containing a universal bequest. You can use the following wording: “I designate KU Leuven, Oude Markt 13, 3000 Leuven, as my universal legatee.” A universal bequest does not prevent you from leaving a sum of money or an object to your heirs or to others. In that case, you should also include a special bequest in your will.

Bequest under universal title

If you do not wish to bequeath your entire estate, but a sizeable share, you can leave a bequest under universal title to KU Leuven:

  • a fraction or percentage of your entire estate;
  • all your movable or immovable property;
  • a fraction or percentage of your movable or immovable property.

You can use the following wording: “I bequeath to KU Leuven, Oude Markt 13, 3000 Leuven, all my movable property.” Or: “I bequeath to KU Leuven, Oude Markt 13, 3000 Leuven, 70 percent of my estate.”

Special bequest

Would you like to leave a specific collection, sum of money, or real estate to KU Leuven rather than your entire estate or part of it? In that case, you should include a special bequest in your will. We suggest using the following wording: “I bequeath to KU Leuven, Oude Markt 13, 3000 Leuven, my collection of books, my Rik Wouters paintings, a sum of 100,000 euro, my house located at ..., etc.”

Three Types of donations

KU Leuven receives many donations each year. Every gift, no matter how large or small, makes a difference. The most common method is to donate by bank transfer (‘gift by bank transfer’). But there are other ways in which you can make a donation to the University.

Manual gift

Would you like to donate a painting, or a collection of coins or books to KU Leuven? This can be arranged through a manual donation, for which a notarial deed is not required. You simply hand over the property to KU Leuven. Our legal advisors will prepare the necessary documents to acknowledge receipt of the gift.

Bank donation

Would you like to donate a sum of money to KU Leuven? This can be arranged via bank transfer. Again, a notarial deed is not required. You can simply transfer money from your bank account to KU Leuven’s philanthropy account with account number IBAN BE45 7340 1941 7789 (BIC code: KREDBEBB). You can also set up a standing order for this. When making the transfer, include the structured payment reference of the cause you wish to support. This information can be found on our website. For amounts exceeding 10,000 euro, please contact our legal advisors in advance. You can also donate securities. If you wish to do so, please contact the legal advisors at KU Leuven's Fundraising and Alumni Relations Office in advance.

Donation by notarial deed

A notarial deed of gift is a legal document executed before a notary. A deed is required for any gift of immovable property and can also be used when donating movable property, although this can also be done via a manual gift or by bank transfer.

More information?

For extensive, personal and tailor-made advice, you can always contact Nadine Loenders, Lotte Rudel, Elke Gilgemyn or Elsie Laes, Legal Advisers at the Fundraising and Alumni Relations Department, without any obligation and in complete confidence. You can reach Nadine by phone on +32 16 32 67 79, Lotte on +32 16 37 23 38, Elke on +32 16 37 65 09 and Elsie on + 32 16 32 04 18. Or send them an email. We can also send you a brochure with more information. 


The Purpose of your Donation

When making a donation, you can decide which cause to support or you can leave this choice to KU Leuven. Do you want to contribute to world-class research, future-oriented education, quality healthcare, heritage, international cooperation, or scholarships? All of this is possible. At KU Leuven and Leuven University Hospitals, there are hundreds of ongoing projects that could really use your support. 
You can donate by bank transfer to KU Leuven’s account number: IBAN BE45 7340 1941 7789 (BIC code: KREDBEBB) or donate online.

Earmarked donations

You can make a donation to support a specific research field, educational area, or social cause. In that case, you dedicate your donation to a specific cause.
Just a few of the many possibilities:
•    scholarships for financially disadvantaged but talented students in Belgium or abroad;
•    specific funds, such as the Library Fund, the America-Europe Fund and the Bone4Kids Fund;
•    specific philanthropic projects, such as the archaeological research conducted at Sagalassos, the KU Leuven Brain Institute, the KU Leuven Cancer Institute, or KADOC, the Documentation and Research Centre for Religion, Culture and Society.

For more options, please contact our team.

Donations without a specific purpose

If you make a donation without specifying the purpose, you leave the choice to KU Leuven. This is also valuable as it allows us to support a number of less obvious initiatives. So even if your donation is not earmarked for a specific purpose, you can still contribute to the development of research, education and public service at KU Leuven.

Support KU Leuven and Leuven University Hospitals

Do you want to support world-class research, future-oriented education, quality healthcare, heritage, international cooperation, or scholarships? All of this is possible. At KU Leuven and Leuven University Hospitals, there are hundreds of ongoing projects that could really use your support.

View all our causes   Make a donation without a specific purpose


Is Gift tax due?

Flemish Region

As of 1 July 2021, gift tax is no longer due in the Flemish Region if KU Leuven is the beneficiary of the gift, regardless of the type (notarial or other donations)

Brussels and Walloon Region

Registration is not mandatory for manual gifts or gifts by bank transfer. This means that, in principle, no gift tax will be due on such gifts. However, if the donor decides to register the gift (voluntarily), gift tax is due.

In the case of notarial donations, registration is mandatory, which also implies that gift tax is due.

Gift tax rates are as follows: 6.6% for donors who are tax residents in the Brussels-Capital Region and 7% for donors who are tax residents in the Walloon Region.


Can You get Tax Relief?

If you donate 40 euro or more to KU Leuven over the course of a year, you will be issued a tax receipt, which will be sent to you automatically. On the basis of this tax receipt, you can claim a tax deduction of 45% of the donated amount.

In the case of private individuals, the total amount of donations for which tax relief is granted must not exceed 10% of their joint net income, with a maximum deductible amount of EUR 392,200 (for tax year 2019, assessment year 2020).

For companies, the total amount of donations for which tax relief can be granted is limited to 5 % of their net profit with a maximum deductible amount of EUR 500,000.

A tax receipt is only issued for cash donations, not for donations in kind.


Would you like to donate from abroad?

Do you live abroad, or is your company based abroad? You can still help KU Leuven fulfil its social mission of education and research. As a legal entity, KU Leuven can be the beneficiary of your donation without any problem, wherever you are based in the world. However, contact our legal advisors first before donating from abroad.

More information about donating from abroad